Unbound (8 page)

Getting to his feet, he followed the sound, looking through the tall grass until he came upon the source. He found him curled in a ball, shaking.

“Jubi, you foolish man,” Gannon whispered and took him to the basket with the others. “Do you think that they’ll recover?” he asked Zhuhai.

“The little ones? Yes…they recover soon. Needs the nectar, they do…yes.”

After each little one received a drop of nectar, he could see the glow begin to return. Watching for a few seconds more, he reassured himself that the little Sprites were on the mend. Gratitude filled him for the sacrifice they’d made this night, and he felt glad that the Urisk had known what to do, being
Fae-
kin.

Seeing Kayla and Roo laying motionless in an unnatural sleep, he hurried to their sides. He took the wrap off Kayla and found nothing on her but the pale lines of old scars.

He slumped forward, relived in a way that he couldn’t quite define. Happy that the girl would get better, he hugged her. Becoming uncomfortably aware that he held a grown woman in his arms as her breasts crushed against him, he felt the sharp intake of breath, then a sudden silence before he got a violent blow to the sternum.

Grunting for breath, he let her go. She scrambled away from him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped.

“I know you’re mad, but I’m just happy you’re alive,” he said with a heartfelt laugh.

* * *

“Where are we? Who are you, and how did I get here? I’d start answering now.” She paused for breath, searching the ground for anything she could use for a weapon.

He looked perplexed. “What can you recall of the last few hours?”

She paused her search, thinking, recalling bits and pieces. She thought she remembered someone helping her and Roo.

“Roo!” she shouted and whipped around to look for him. Wrapped in bandages, he lay with his head on the man’s lap, thumping his tail. Roo looked content. But what did a dumb dog know anyway?

Roo lifted his head and looked at her and woofed.

“What?” she asked. “Why does he have on bandages?”

“The same reason you did,” the man replied, his voice gruff.

“Did?”
Looking down on herself, half naked, sitting in a stone circle with a man she didn’t know, she flushed.

While her dog thumped his tail in contentment, she put her arms around herself, trying to cover her breasts. Seeing a discarded blanket not too far away, she scrambled to get it. Gannon moved forward to help.

She held up a hand. “Just stay where you are. I can do it.”

“I just wanted to make it easier for you. You’ve been hurt, and even if you feel fine now, you’re in no condition to do much.”

She looked past him and stuttered in fright. “What the…? What’s that?” she asked, pointing. The blanket slipped slightly to the side. He turned.

“That’s a Urisk.”

She turned around and walked a short distance away. After folding the blanket into a sarong, she tied the intricate knots and looked over her shoulder.

“You have a lot of explaining to do. Don’t think I’ve forgotten just because I’m letting you help me.” She cut off when she felt the soft brush of fur against her leg. She reached down and gathered the heavy weight of the cat into her arms. Invisible needle-sharp claws bit into her neck as a contented purr drifted on the air.

“Oh, Nyx,” she said, burying her face in soft fur she couldn’t see, and held him to her chest. Kayla let out a sigh of relief, then straightened, petting the cat for reassurance since her dog was a rotten traitor. “Now, answer my question.”

“You stumbled into my ward late last night. You’d been mauled by a MoonSkin.”

She tensed. “Was I bitten?”

“Thankfully, no. However, your dog was.”

Roo nudged Gannon’s hand, then pulled at his bandages with his teeth. Kayla checked Roo over, just to reassure herself. Lifting the corner of the bandage, she couldn’t see any wounds. She continued to unravel the bandages, making sure that her growing suspicions were true before she said anything. Her voice sounded tight with anger.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to hear the truth.” A flash in her mind showed Roo blood covered, lying on a table.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Clearly you’re mistaken. My dog hasn’t been attacked by anything.” Shaking the bandages at him, she added, “There aren’t any wounds under these. You’re either lying, or delusional, or both. Come to think of it, I don’t feel any pain so, unless you’ve got me on some good drugs, I think you’re lying.”

Gannon ran his hands up and down Roo’s coat. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, grinning and ruffling the dog’s ears. “You wily old goat.”

“What?” the Urisk asked, turning his attention from the Sprites.

“Nothing. Roo here jumped the healing circle while the Sprites danced.”

Kayla growled, impatient with the man and with the large holes in her memory. “What are you talking about
now?”

“You were dying from the infection in your wounds. I’d done everything I could to save you and Roo, but you’re wounds were beyond my skill. Jubi, the clan chief of the forest Sprites, saw my distress when they brought a gift for Roo. You were delirious with pain and fever. He told me to bring you to the circle.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorted, “and I’m a pixie.”

“What?”

“It means,
buddy,
that I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”

“My friend almost died to save you.” Gannon pointed to the basket. “His whole clan almost died and, if the Urisk hadn’t known what to do, they would have.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, uncomfortable that someone had risked so much for her. A light began to glow in the basket, then another, and another. Soon the night filled with lights of different colors lifting out of the basket and dancing around her hair.

She stared in wonder at a sight she’d never seen before. They played with her hair, braiding it into thin strands which curled around her ears. Tears streamed down her face as she remembered lights like these from the depths of her memory.

“Thank you,” she murmured. Her joy at being alive filled her, and she began to dance around the stones until she too shone with light.

10

Gannon stepped back,
unsure what to make of the
Fae
and the girl swirling and dipping beneath and around each other in an elemental dance he felt blessed to witness. When the dance ended, they fluttered around her hands, bringing her flowers and braiding them into her hair. It was then he remembered a comment made by Jubi before they’d brought her to the dance, something about a princess…Awed, he sat down, not sure what to make of the whole thing.

Jubi landed on his shoulder.

“I am glad you’re well, my friend,” Gannon said.

“As am I, Gan, as am I. She is beautiful, though, isn’t she?”

“Aye, she is.”
What are we going to do with her now
, he thought as he watched Kayla laughing, surrounded by Sprites.

The Urisk walked over and knelt beside them. “You mind if I join?”

“Zhuhai, you are welcome anytime by my side. At my hearth you are most welcome,” Gannon said.

“Thank you…Zhuhai thanks.” The Urisk settled down to watch the girl dance. “Gannon…you should ask the woman to stop. The Sprites need rest and so does she, even if she doesn’t yet feel it. The strain of the healing will take it out of her soon.”

“I was just about to. We need to head home and off to bed. Jubi, you should have the others rest for the night. There’s no need to do anything until tomorrow. You can spend the night at the cabin with us if you want, in case we need to leave.”

Jubi yawned and stretched his wings before taking off to tell the others. As Gannon watched him go, he felt a deep gratitude to the creature beside him.

“Zhuhai, I’ve a favor to ask. I need to go away for a few days, and I need to have someone look after the T’ween while we’re gone. Would you be willing to do this for me?”

“I would be honored,” the creature said.

“Thank you, my friend. Now I need to gather up a wayward woman.”

“I understand. Thank you for the moment of your companionship. May you go with light,” said the creature. He got to his hooves and headed into the waterfall.

Gannon watched the Urisk disappear. Shaking his head, he went to Kayla. The Sprites quit dancing and melted into the woods, their lights dimming as they found their various boughs and flowers to sleep the night away.

“Kayla, we must go,” Gannon said, saddened to break the spell. He touched her arm as she looked after them forlornly.

“Where are we going?”

“Back to the cottage to try and get some sleep.”

“But I’m not tired,” she whined. He knew she still rode the euphoric high from being healed; but her body was in shock. He had no doubt she’d crash once they got to the cabin, if not on the way there.

“Fine, stay out here by yourself, I’m tired and I’m going home.” He got less than ten steps away and smiled when he heard footsteps follow.

“Wait for me!” she hollered, catching up.

“I thought you were staying here?”

“Not on your life,” she mumbled under her breath. “I don’t even know where here is.”

* * *

Kayla woke to the smell of frying bacon, her mouth salivating. She stretched, smiling at the man standing over the small wood stove.

“Mmm, that smells wonderful.” Kayla felt like lounging in bed a few minutes more before an urgent call of nature propelled her into action.

Getting out of bed and dancing from foot to foot, she looked around for his bathroom until he glanced over his shoulder at her quirking up an eyebrow.

“Where’s your bathroom?” He pointed outside. She dashed out, expecting to see an outhouse or something, anything that wasn’t a bush.

“What kind of barbarian doesn’t have indoor plumbing?” she fussed, dashing back in to warm herself by the fire. She rubbed her bare arms, realizing she still didn’t have a shirt on. Though the sarong was comfortable, she wanted something guaranteed to cover her in a fight. “Where’s my stuff?” She looked around as he put the food on plates and set them on the table.

“I’m not quite sure,” he said. “We’ll look for it when we’re done eating.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” she snapped.

“Look, will you just sit down? We’ve a lot to discuss and not a lot of time,” he said, shoveling his food in while he talked.

Disgusted, she sat down. She’d almost finished her plate, when he called out.

“Jubi, get your ass in here.” He jumped up, going to the door.

She heard someone say, “Why are you forever waking me up?” The Sprite glared at Gannon. Kayla’s eyes widened in wonder; she’d thought they’d all been a dream.

“Because you wanted to come, and we need to leave now is why. Tell the others what they need to know, and tell that mangy cat we’re leaving, thought he probably already knows.”